Calcium for pregnancy!

[chrislynn5]

So, I brought Maggie to the vet today to check on her pups! The vet said everything was fine and we are going to be expecting 4 pups. He also told me to make sure that I was giving her puppy food and CALCUIM!!! I also asked him about to eclampsia that yall all talk about on here and he said that NO WAY! That calcuim was to prevent pre-eclampsia. And to treat your dog as though it were a human....in human pregnancy we must eat three suppliments of calcuim a day...I know this cause I am curretly pregnant and this is my second pregnancy. So as I thought, and thank god that I never took Maggie off of her calcuim....dogs are always suppose to have puppy food and calcuim when they are pregnant!

[feminvstr]

I would NOT suggest supplimenting calcium "prewhelp"
you will actually INCREASE her risk of eclampsia, INCREASE her risk of prolonged labor, INCREASE her risk of a c-section.

[EmrldShdwQueen]

Originally Posted by feminvstr

I would NOT suggest supplimenting calcium "prewhelp"
you will actually INCREASE her risk of eclampsia, INCREASE her risk of prolonged labor, INCREASE her risk of a c-section.

Yes! Vets are NOT always right. You need to get the opinion of SEVERAL vets before you come to a conclusion OR take the advice of SEVERAL experienced breeders on here!

[011011]

Take the advise I would not give it you can actually cause it to happen if you do give calcium supplements during pregnancy! (eclampsia)

[bjh]

Originally Posted by chrislynn5

So, I brought Maggie to the vet today to check on her pups! The vet said everything was fine and we are going to be expecting 4 pups. He also told me to make sure that I was giving her puppy food and CALCUIM!!! I also asked him about to eclampsia that yall all talk about on here and he said that NO WAY! That calcuim was to prevent pre-eclampsia. And to treat your dog as though it were a human....in human pregnancy we must eat three suppliments of calcuim a day...I know this cause I am curretly pregnant and this is my second pregnancy. So as I thought, and thank god that I never took Maggie off of her calcuim....dogs are always suppose to have puppy food and calcuim when they are pregnant!

Here is a good article on eclampsia written by two vets:
http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1505

Here is another good article written by a vet on whelping and he recommends not giving additional calcium during pregnancy.
http://www.welshcorgi.com/lists/archive16.html

[chrislynn5]

Well I trust what my vet is saying and he has been a vet for a LONG LONG LONG time. I also spoke with breeders that are around my area and they all give calcium to their pregnant Yorkies. I as well as my dogs are taking calcium for our babies. If it would cause them to get eclampsia...wouldn't it cause us as humans to do the same thing? I eat three sources of calcuim daily to help my baby. My doctor recommended it.

[bjh]

Originally Posted by chrislynn5

Well I trust what my vet is saying and he has been a vet for a LONG LONG LONG time. I also spoke with breeders that are around my area and they all give calcium to their pregnant Yorkies. I as well as my dogs are taking calcium for our babies. If it would cause them to get eclampsia...wouldn't it cause us as humans to do the same thing? I eat three sources of calcuim daily to help my baby. My doctor recommended it.

From what I have read on eclampsia in humans it is not the same as in dogs:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/000899.htm

You came here asking advise and we are all telling you what we have learned from years of experience and from what our vets have told us. Your bitch should be put on a high quality dog food and some suggest puppy food and some suggest puppy food the last 3 weeks of pregnancy. Eclampsia can still occur even if you do everything just right. You should always be prepared because if you are not your bitch can die before you can get her to the vet. Most all of us always keep Calsorb on hand for emergencies. Nutrition is of the utmost importance during pregnancy. If you over do it or under do it you can cause health problems for the bitch and her puppies. The choice is yours and I wish you the best.
http://www.wolfweb.com.au/acd/birthdefects.htm

[feminvstr]

Originally Posted by chrislynn5

Well I trust what my vet is saying and he has been a vet for a LONG LONG LONG time. I also spoke with breeders that are around my area and they all give calcium to their pregnant Yorkies. I as well as my dogs are taking calcium for our babies. If it would cause them to get eclampsia...wouldn't it cause us as humans to do the same thing? I eat three sources of calcuim daily to help my baby. My doctor recommended it.

feeding a quality dry and wet puppy food contains enough calcium until the whelp after the whelp you can include calcium rich foods; yogart, whelping pudding, goats milk, cheese etc.

[tiggerr36792]

Providing extra calcium pre-whelp can actually increase her chances of having eclampsia. I would just make sure to add some protein rich puppy food to her diet and give calcium rich foods like yogurt, goats milk, cottage cheese etc...after she has whelped.

[Sugar's Mom]

so, why did you post? Are you just giving us advice or what? i am not changing my routine based on what your vet told you. years of experience has taught me that all these other people are right and your vet is wrong. you would be wise to find another vet before you lose your girl. not all vets are experienced in TOY breeds.

[MyFairLacy]

I'm not a breeder or a vet yet (although I am in vet school)..and I'm telling you that your vet is WRONG. Please take the advise of the breeders in this thread and do not give your dog a calcium supplement until after she has whelped. Dogs can die from enclampsia..a YT member had one die recently...don't put your baby at risk for that by giving calcium pre-whelp.

[chrislynn5]

I'm sorry about all the confusion about this. I was not asking a question....I was making a statement. I have had many pm's about this thread from very experienced breeders that say that they give their dogs calcium. They aren't going to post because people think what they think and that is it. Yall get in fights about this subject all the time. And why fight with people like that??

Just drop it cause in my eyes on this subject...my vet wins

[MyTrixie143]

Originally Posted by feminvstr

I would NOT suggest supplimenting calcium "prewhelp"
you will actually INCREASE her risk of eclampsia, INCREASE her risk of prolonged labor, INCREASE her risk of a c-section.

I agree 100%.

I have a lot of trust in my vets.

But they no nothing about breeding as do most vets. Most vets don't know the ins and outs of breeding. They know the general stuff such as gestation, pregnancy, whelping.
However there is a ton of stuff that vets don't know about breeding.
Did you know most vets also say that it safe to use flea medicine on your pregnant dog? When in fact it has been proven that flea medicine on a pregnant dog can cause birth defects.

I really think you should take everyone's advice about not supplementing calcium before the puppies are born, but to each their own.

Good luck to you and your girl.

[Ellie May]

Here are excerpts from five websites explaining why it is NOT a good idea to supplement calcium. One of these websites belongs to Merck, another one is where quite a few vets send their clients to read up on different diseases and the other three come up all the time on Google.

Calcium supplementation may be tempting but is not a good idea. As long as the expectant mother is on a quality diet, supplementation is unnecessary. Further, supplementation can suppress her natural calcium releasing hormones so that when she really needs extra calcium during nursing, she will not have the proper hormone balance to get it. This can create a very dangerous situation that could easily be avoided by not supplementing with calcium.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1459

Over-supplementation of calcium during pregnancy may increase the risk of eclampsia. There is a complex way the body maintains the proper amount of calcium in the blood. The body is constantly adding calcium to bones and then removing it, as needed. This is regulated by a hormone produced by the parathyroid gland, called parathyroid hormone. If a dog receives increased amounts of calcium during pregnancy, her body's production of parathyroid hormone greatly decreases. When the dog suddenly needs large amounts of calcium for milk production, the system is not ready to start removing it from the bone. This is because it takes some time for the parathyroid gland to start producing the hormone again. Because of the lack in parathyroid hormone, the blood calcium level suddenly drops, and produces the signs of eclampsia.

So, adequate amounts of calcium need to be given during pregnancy, but not enough to slow down the production of parathyroid hormone. This means calcium supplements are generally not recommended. Also, it is important for the calcium and phosphorus in the diet to be at the correct ratio of 1:1 (i.e.; 1 part calcium to 1 part phosphorus). Vitamin D must also be present in adequate amounts.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1505

Supplementing calcium and possibly Vitamin D during the pregnancy is likely to lead to problems. This seems to run against logic, since the developing puppies need calcium. What seems to happen, though, is that supplemented calcium is used preferentially by the bitch's body, because it is easily available. So she doesn't maintain normal calcium regulatory mechanisms in top efficiency. Then when it is time to deliver puppies and produce milk, she can't meet the sudden large increase in calcium demand because she has been relying on the supplemented calcium. It is possible to accurately test calcium levels using some laboratory instruments that are reasonable for veterinary practices to purchase, such as the iSTAT machine. If your vet has the capability of measuring calcium it may be possible to determine if calcium deficiency is contributing the problem. Administering calcium without knowledge of the calcium levels is a more dangerous approach to the situation. There is an oral calcium gel (Calsorb Rx) that is supposed to be absorbed pretty quickly and may be less likely to cause problems with excessive calcium (which include stopping the heart).
http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dpregnancy.html

The best way to prevent eclampsia is to avoid calcium supplementation during pregnancy and to feed the pregnant bitch a well-balanced, good quality food. Supplementation of the bitch with calcium may be helpful once the puppies are delivered and are beginning to nurse. Supplemental feeding of the puppies may also be beneficial, especially for large litters.
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/eclamps...ogs/page1.aspx

Owners should be warned that this condition is likely to recur with future pregnancies. Steps to consider to prevent puerperal hypocalcemia in the bitch include feeding a high-quality, nutritionally balanced, and appropriate diet during pregnancy and lactation, providing food and water ad lib during lactation, and supplemental feeding of the puppies with milk replacer early in lactation and with solid food after 3-4 wk of age. Oral calcium supplementation during gestation is not indicated and may cause rather than prevent postpartum hypocalcemia. Calcium administration during peak milk production may be helpful in bitches with a history of puerperal hypocalcemia.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...m/bc/80304.htm

[tiggerr36792]

Originally Posted by chrislynn5

I'm sorry about all the confusion about this. I was not asking a question....I was making a statement. I have had many pm's about this thread from very experienced breeders that say that they give their dogs calcium. They aren't going to post because people think what they think and that is it. Yall get in fights about this subject all the time. And why fight with people like that??

Just drop it cause in my eyes on this subject...my vet wins

Your right some breeders do give calcium pre and I'm sure in small quantities it might not put a large risk on the female(key word here is might). Why risk it??? I know several breeders who actually give injections of calcium a few days before the delivery date, I however don't like to take a chance on over doing it and placing more risk on my females then necessary. It ultimately is your choice and yours alone. Either way you choose to go with your knowledge I wish you the best!!